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Virtual Devices Node server Port to PG3?


DaveStLou

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Posted

I'm down to only one Polyglot Node server that is not hosted under PG3: Virtual Devices created by @markv58 (not to be confused with Virtual Buttons). @bpwwer, are there plans to port it to PG3?

I am still running it on a Raspberry Pi since, as far as I know it's never was ported to PG2.

Below is the original thread and here's the GitHub repository.

Thanks!

 

Posted

Hmm, I did port it last October.  I have no idea if works at this point, but I guess I should check and then release it.

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Posted
On 5/12/2022 at 12:56 PM, bpwwer said:

Hmm, I did port it last October.  I have no idea if works at this point, but I guess I should check and then release it.

That's great. Let me know if I can assist in testing.

Posted
18 hours ago, bpwwer said:

It should be in the store now.

Thanks. I successfully moved my last NS to PG3! Since I was coming from Polyglot V1, I just set it up scratch. Stopped the Polyglot service on my old Raspberry Pi ?

Posted

Is there a non-destructive way to move this from PG2 to PG3?  If I delete and add to the same slot and create the same switches with the same numbers, will the IoP programs still require updating? 

Posted (edited)
22 hours ago, JTsao said:

Is there a non-destructive way to move this from PG2 to PG3?  If I delete and add to the same slot and create the same switches with the same numbers, will the IoP programs still require updating? 

I set up the same number of switches in PG3 that I had in my original Polyglot version. All of my programs referred to the switches as before.

I did find that I had to touch each one and save to assure they worked. By touch, I mean make a random change and then change it back so that it will save the program. YMMV.

I'm not sure why this is needed but I have found that be necessary frequently as I move node servers around.

Edited by DaveStLou
Posted (edited)

I am not sure what this is but looked interesting. I installed and made a virtual switch but it did not seem to do anything other than have a switch I can turn on/off.

I setup the type to switch and ID to the number of a state variable (eg. 5 in my case), expecting that it would sync and set the variable 1 and 0 for on and off, but did not seem to work. What am I doing wrong? I read through the original thread but seems to focus mostly on temperatures which I am not currently interested in.

 

 

Edited by brians
Posted
2 minutes ago, brians said:

I am not sure what this is but looked interesting. I installed and made a virtual switch but it did not seem to do anything other than have a switch I can turn on/off.

I setup the type to switch and ID to the number of a state variable (eg. 5 in my case), expecting that it would sync and set the variable 1 and 0 for on and off, but did not seem to work. What am I doing wrong?

If you read through the original thread (link in the original post), the Node server went through a lot of changes. I don't know if it originally supported that function or not, but I found that I had to build a program to change the variable as you describe or vice versa (variable change turns off or on the switch).

What I use it for it to create occupancy switches that I can control in UD Mobile for each room.

Posted

It’s an external variable with a state of off and on.  I use it in UD Mobile to tell which irrigation cycle to run that night.  It acts like a switch on and off.  You don’t have to set variable value.  

Posted
1 hour ago, brians said:

When I manually changed the variable it did not turn on/off the switch though.

I will try again.

 

 

The original iterations of Virtual used variables.  However, this changed.  A Virtual switch is no longer tied to a Variable.  Just turn on/off the switch itself.

Posted
1 hour ago, carealtor said:

The original iterations of Virtual used variables.  However, this changed.  A Virtual switch is no longer tied to a Variable.  Just turn on/off the switch itself.

Ok, I am still trying to think what I could use it for. I guess a use case could be to use it as a switch that runs a program or something.

 

Posted
17 minutes ago, brians said:

Ok, I am still trying to think what I could use it for. I guess a use case could be to use it as a switch that runs a program or something.

The reason that I use the Virtual node server is related to getting Harmony remote controls to trigger a program on the IoP - the ISY994 had IR input capability which doesn't exist on the IoP - the Harmony Companion remote has dedicated remote buttons for home automation that are somewhat limited in what they can control - I have to use the Hue Emulator node server on the Polisy to get the remote to turn lights on and off - but the Hue Emulator node server only really supports turning scenes on and off - this does not trigger programs, but if you put a Virtual button into the scene, then you can trigger a program from your Harmony remote - kind of a hassle to do something that was easy on the ISY -

I really believe that UDI should add native IR support to the IoP via a USB IR receiver, but that is the subject of another discussion...

Posted
54 minutes ago, brians said:

Ok, I am still trying to think what I could use it for. I guess a use case could be to use it as a switch that runs a program or something.

 

Yup. :)

I use one to turn on either my bedroom fan or fireplace, depending on the season, with the same button on my Harmony.  So pressing the button on my Harmony actually turns on or off the Virtual switch.  Then a program is triggered by the Virtual switch.  The program determines whether to turn on the fan or fireplace.  In this case, my off program just turns them both off.

I know the Virtual switch Node Server really branched off into something involving temperature or whatever, but it started as just a binary switch, and that's all I've used it for.  So, triggering a program is it's real use for me.

Posted
11 hours ago, brians said:

Ok, I am still trying to think what I could use it for. I guess a use case could be to use it as a switch that runs a program or something.

 

Here's another use that I just started. My GE Enbrighten z-wave fan switch has 3 speeds and the ISY control only allows for ON percentages, so low =1%, med =53% high= 91%. I created a virtual switch for each speed and a program for each as well. It's especially handy when using UD Mobile as the switch status indicates what speed the fan is at. I arrived at the % by setting the speed at the switch and then checking the status. Also, in the associated program for the virtual it will set the fan ON percentage and turn the other virtuals off. (I just realized that I'm not accounting for the fan switch to be set manually, oh well, more programming required). Hopefully someday the ISY will recognize z-wave devices by model and provide the appropriate controls as it does with Insteon.

Posted
2 minutes ago, vbphil said:

Here's another use that I just started. My GE Enbrighten z-wave fan switch has 3 speeds and the ISY control only allows for ON percentages, so low =1%, med =53% high= 91%. I created a virtual switch for each speed and a program for each as well. It's especially handy when using UD Mobile as the switch status indicates what speed the fan is at. I arrived at the % by setting the speed at the switch and then checking the status. Also, in the associated program for the virtual it will set the fan ON percentage and turn the other virtuals off. (I just realized that I'm not accounting for the fan switch to be set manually, oh well, more programming required). Hopefully someday the ISY will recognize z-wave devices by model and provide the appropriate controls as it does with Insteon.

Interesting. I set up my Enbrighten fan switches before this NS was around so I used scenes to do approximately the same thing. In UD Mobile I use the Mapped Values to show High, Medium and Low instead of percentages and a command to cycle through the settings since that's generally how I set them.

Posted
On 5/20/2022 at 7:26 AM, DaveStLou said:

Interesting. I set up my Enbrighten fan switches before this NS was around so I used scenes to do approximately the same thing. In UD Mobile I use the Mapped Values to show High, Medium and Low instead of percentages and a command to cycle through the settings since that's generally how I set them.

I have an ISY Folder for the Fan object and 2 programs for each virtual speed switch, a get and a set. So for virtual switch FanLow there is a set_fan_low and a get_fan_low program. The set program actually commands the fan speed and the get catches if the fan is controlled from the switch manually and sets the correct virtual switch status. In UD Mobile you see all 4 virtual switches for the fan.

Quote

set_fan_low - [ID 0063][Parent 0062]

If
        'Virtual Device Controller / FanLow' Switch Status is On
 
Then
        Set 'Equipment / Mosi Entry Fan' 1%
        Set 'Virtual Device Controller / FanOff' Off
        Set 'Virtual Device Controller / FanMed' Off
        Set 'Virtual Device Controller / FanHigh' Off
 
Else
   - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')
 

Quote

get_fan_low - [ID 0084][Parent 0062]

If
        'Equipment / Mosi Entry Fan' Status < 53%
    And 'Equipment / Mosi Entry Fan' Status >= 1%
 
Then
        Set 'Virtual Device Controller / FanLow' On
 
Else
   - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')
 

image.thumb.jpeg.4a7b434ed19264f72b2b643ae567bf16.jpeg

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